


Ever Free

by Amberly



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 10:48:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6654979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amberly/pseuds/Amberly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The villagers whispered about him, conversations coming to a halt as he entered the room. The woods weren’t safe. There was magic in them. A Dragon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ever Free

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maevemauvaise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maevemauvaise/gifts).



> Happy Birthday Maeve!
> 
>  
> 
> So! The intention here was for this fic to be along the same lines as Little Red Riding Hood, only with Red seeking out the wolf on her own, for her own reasons. I had all of these plans for Duo and Wufei. Years and years of Duo growing up and looking for the Dragon and asking for magic. And every time I tried to write that, it just froze up. So I went ahead and just let it write itself--and this is what we got! Despite it NOT being what I planned, I hope you still like it!

“What are you doing here, boy?”

Duo jerked at the hiss, flinging himself back and dropping his torch. It guttered, then went out, plunging the cave into darkness. His heart pounded in his chest as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, gaze sweeping over the rough stone walls, the scattered rocks. Dripping stalactites. He couldn’t see anything solid. Only shadows, looming giant in the center of the cave. And then the shadows shifted. Duo’s fingers gripped the wall tightly, knees trembling as all the air in his lungs went out, watching as what he’d thought was just part of the cave wall stretched, elongating as it rose up to tower over him.

“Well?” the voice snapped. “I’m waiting.”  Trembling, Duo wet his dry lips. He opened his mouth to speak. There was nothing, no sound, and he closed it with a click.  There was an indignant huff, a spark of flame as the shadow reared back. Duo screamed. He turned for the mouth of the cave and fled, running blindly in the dark. The Dragon was huge, blocking out what light filtered in from the mouth of the cave, with thick gold scales and twin plumes of smoke pouring from its nostrils. It was beautiful, and terrifying, and Duo scrambled desperately over the rocks. He felt something wrap around his ankle. Something scaly, and thick and Duo screamed again as he was pulled into the air to dangle, the smell of sulfur overpowering.

“Stop that,” the Dragon glared at him, irritation a palpable force in the room. Duo went silent at once, hanging limp from his ankle as it surveyed him with one massive black eye. Snorting, the Dragon leaned in, nosing at his stomach. It tickled, and Duo twisted, trying desperately to loose the Dragon’s hold on him. It was no good. And worse, the Dragon seemed amused by his efforts, tightening its tail around his ankle and letting out an amused rumble.

“You’re very scrawny. Hardly much more than a mouthful. Did the Village send you?”

“No!” Duo squawked, indignation loosening his tongue. He grit his teeth, clenching his jaw and jutting his chin forward, his arms crossing over his chest. “I came on my own.”

“Oh?” The Dragon’s great head turned over, looking directly at Duo. There was a knowing glitter in his eyes, and Duo was suddenly struck by ridiculous he looked, hanging upside down with his brad steaming down towards the floor, tunic flipped over the threadbare rope belt he wore. Crossing his arms over his chest, he nodded, ignoring the flush spreading over his cheeks. With another chuckling rumble, the Dragon carefully set him back down. Duo scrambled to his feet, smoothing back his mussed hair, his disarranged clothing. “And why have you come?”

“I want—I want magic,” Duo forced his voice steady, curling his trembling fingers into fists.

“You are a child,” the Dragon dismissed him, turning it back as he settled back into onto his belly.

“But— “

“Leave,” the Dragon’s eyes were dark, fathomless, and Duo nodded, struck dumb by their piercing gaze. There was no arguing with that intensity. Terror gripped him once more, and he whirled on his heel, racing out of the cave before the great beast could change its mind about letting him go.

* * *

 

It was two weeks before Duo found his way back.

The evening sky was heavy with dark clouds, and the village was locked up tight. Even the barns were closed to him, their heavy doors barred against the coming storm. Hovering on the edge of adulthood, he was too old to garner much sympathy. And with the old hermit, Howard, dead, Duo had nowhere to go. With the wind violently whipping at his hair and thunder threatening in the distance, Duo made his way through the dark forest, head bowed. The loneliness was crushing, and he walked without thought, mindlessly seeking shelter. When he finally looked up, he stood outside the cave with his braid in his hands, fingers curling around the end of it.

“There will be a storm,” the voice came from behind him, and Duo jumped. He turned quickly, mouth open with a quick retort. It froze on his tongue, disbelief covering his face.  The Dragon was not a Dragon. Instead he was a man. A young man, with a long length of black hair and dark, piercing eyes. His arms were crossed over his chest, lips pressed in a thin line. Raising one imperious eyebrow, the Dragon waited. Duo closed his mouth and swallowed, shifting from one foot to foot. He looked up at the sky, then back to the Dragon.

“I don’t have anywhere to stay,” he blurted out. The Dragon stared at him, eyes narrowing. “I could—If you let me stay, I could work.”

“Work?” The Dragon snorted in amusement.

“Yeah,” Duo continued. “I could chop firewood, or hunt…” The Dragon stared at him as he trailed off, and Duo hung his head. Of course. The Dragon didn’t need firewood. He didn’t need anyone to hunt for him. Dejectedly running a hand over his hair, he looked up at the Dragon through his bangs, lower lip jutting out. He got another snort in response.

“You are too old for that,” The Dragon breezed past him without a backwards glance. The rejection smarted. Duo had thought that the Dragon, of all people, would understand what it felt like to be alone, and cast out. He slumped further, eyes filling with tears. Too old. He was too old for sympathy, not old enough to be seen as a man. Duo turned from the mouth of the cave, ready to head back out into the night. There was a whoosh behind him, the sudden feeling of something around his ankle. And then he was being yanked into the cave, body dragged roughly over the floor before he was airborne once again.

“What—!“

“I didn’t say you had to leave,” the Dragon set him down next to a door, shifting back into the shape of a man. Duo huffed, rolling his eyes as he struggled to smooth his hair.

“You could have just said that,” he griped.

“Yes,” there was a flash of teeth, a feral grin that made Duo’s mouth dry. “I could have.” He opened the door, passing through it and beckoning Duo to follow. Afraid the Dragon would only drag him in again, he scurried after him, pausing as he passed the threshold. It was a room. A large, clean space, with carefully polished walls and fireplace tucked into one nook, a natural chimney formed from cracks in the ceiling. There was a kitchen, a shelf of books. A pallet in one corner, some chairs in the middle. The furniture was simple, but beautiful, and Duo let his surprise show on his face. Of all the things he had expected to find in the Dragon’s cave, this had not been one of them.

“This is...” he trailed off, unable to finish.

“This my home,” the Dragon confirmed. “One of them.”

“You have others?”

“This is hardly the only village in the world.”

“Why do you come back, then?” Duo asked the question boldly, eyes running over the books. They captivated him. He didn’t know how to read. No one had ever thought to teach the poor orphan boy. It had never bothered him before. But standing there, looking at the gilt letters on the spines of the books, he felt a sudden longing. He reached out, fingers itching to stroke over the warm leather. Duo jumped as a cool hand wrapped around his wrist. He jerked, turning his head, looking straight into the dark, hooded eyes of the Dragon.

“Why do you stay?” the question threw him off guard. Duo stared, lips parted, heat rushing through him at the closeness. A blush spread over his cheeks, and Duo tugged his wrist from the Dragon’s grasp. He stayed because he had nowhere else to go. He had no choice. Did the Dragon have no choice? The legends were unclear. Some said that he stayed to terrorize the town that had taken everything from him. Some said he was bound to stay, compelled by the curse lain upon him. Duo wanted to ask. It was the perfect opportunity to get answers to questions he’d been asking all his life.

“I’m Duo,” he said instead. The Dragon raised one eyebrow, then turned away, walking with a slight limp into the pantry. “You’re hurt.”

“You can see,” the Dragon drawled, coming out with his arms full of vegetables. Duo frowned at him, and at length the Dragon sighed. “It’s nothing. I will heal.”

“How?” Duo challenged, hands resting on his hips. The Dragon’s expression was amused as he began to chop a carrot, dark eyes glancing back over his shoulder at him.

“Magic.”

“Oh,” he grinned, expression sheepish. Clearing his throat, he stepped up next to the strange man. “Do you want help?” The Dragon surveyed him for a few moments, then handed him a knife, gesturing to the vegetables. Duo took a carrot, and they chopped together in silence. It was a warm, comfortable feeling, something Duo wasn’t used to. When the carrots were finished, he moved on to the potatoes, watching as the Dragon filled a large kettle with water.

“Wufei,” the words cut the silence, making him jump. Duo blinked at the Dragon, watching as he cleared his throat, gaze flicking to Duo briefly. “My name is Wufei.” Duo smiled in response, feeling shy as he went back to his cutting. The rest of the night passed peacefully. They ate, speaking quietly together. Wufei had a dry sense of humor, a sharp insight into village life, and Duo listened raptly to his stories. The Dragon was old, and he’d lived a long, lonely life. His voice rose and fell like the wind, painting imagines in the air that held Duo captivated. The villagers didn’t know anything about this creature, and Duo felt a fierce rush of protectiveness. It was good. They didn’t deserve to know him.  Duo fell asleep curled up in front of the fire, belly full, and woke to an empty cave.

* * *

 

In the months that followed, Duo used any excuse he could find to escape into the woods, seeking Wufei’s company. He gathered wood, looked for herbs and mushrooms, or flowers. Most times the Dragon wasn’t there, and Duo found the cave empty. He would deflate, vow never to return. It didn’t last. The hollow in his chest would fill with yearning, send him out again searching for scales among the fallen leaves. When Wufei was there, they filled the cavern with stories, the brittle sound of Wufei’s laughter. Winter crept in silently, the dark nights chill. But the cave was warm, and Duo came home with flushed cheeks and windswept hair, heat in his veins. The villagers whispered about him, conversations coming to a halt as he entered the room. The woods weren’t safe. There was magic in them. A Dragon. He pretended not to notice. Until he had to. 

* * *

 

“Duo,” The Dragon greeted him, perched at the mouth of the cave like a hawk ready to hunt. Duo’s heart raced at the sight of him. It wasn’t fear. Fear had been banished a long time ago, when Wufei had given him his name, offered him shelter from the storm. It seemed like years. It was something he couldn’t name, a warmth that settled crouched in his chest. Wufei watched him with narrowed eyes, pupils slit. He waited. Duo stood before him with only the clothes on his back. He had nothing to offer but himself.

“I’m not a child anymore,” he announced. Wufei’s eyes widened.

“I see.”

“Take me with you,” Duo’s voice was pleading. Spring was coming. It was in the air, a restlessness the trees mimicked, their branches tossing in the wind. Spring was coming, and Wufei would move on. There was no need to stay in his cave when the skies were clear, the snow melting back into the mountains. Duo felt Wufei’s change in his bones, watching with wonder as the dragon disappeared, leaving the man before him.

“Do you know what you are asking for?” Wufei took a step forwards him, gaze intent. Duo didn’t. But the villagers wouldn’t let him come back. He had no reason to return. No home, no family. He had only Wufei—Wufei, who would soon be spreading his wings and flying south. Leaving him behind.  Wufei was waiting for his answer, and Duo knew the time for uncertainty had passed. He tilted his chin up, a flash of defiance sweeping across his face.

“Yes,” he answered. It was firm, with no room for argument. Wufei bowed his head. He took a deep breath.

“Very well,” he agreed. And then he lunged, catching Duo in his claws as he changed. Feeling the first flickers of fear, Duo screamed, scrambling for a grip on the smooth scales of Wufei’s feet, the talons of his claws. The sound of Wufei’s wings was deafening, the ground growing smaller and smaller as he climbed. Duo could only watch, stomach roiling. There was no warning. Nothing to prepare him for what was happening. There was only Wufei’s rumbling laughter and the sudden feeling of weightlessness. And then Duo was falling, plummeting back towards the earth, his braid whipping out behind him. He screamed. He screamed and screamed, pleading desperately for Wufei to catch him, his arms beating uselessly in the air as he struggled, waiting for the moment the ground would come rushing up to meet him.

It never came.

Instead, Duo found himself hovering in the air, his wings spread. He gaped, looking at Wufei in astonishment. The Dragon chuckled, a rumble that danced over his scales like a caress. Wufei’s grin was sharp, full of mischief as he flew, circling Duo with an approving hum. When Wufei spoke, Duo didn’t hear it. Rather, he felt it, a sharp thunder in his mind.

“Come,” his Dragon said. “Fly with me.”

And Duo did.

**Author's Note:**

> This does seem sort of like a Prologue...doesn't it...^_~


End file.
